The Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) announced their approval of a 400 million dollar credit guarantee for the trading book of a Swiss commodity trader. Financial Institution Buyer Credit (FIBC) policies backstop credit lines for Geneva – based Trafigura to broker natural gas purchases from the US “primarily to European Buyers,” according to the EXIM announcement.

Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Chairman of the Select Committee on the CCP, and Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA) today unveiled a key piece of legislation that aims to broaden the …

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the U.S. National Intelligence Director (ODNI) have declared the fulfillment of their commitments under President Joe Biden's Executive Order (EO) 14086 regarding the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework. Since 2020, when the European Court of Justice nullified the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield agreement due to concerns about U.S. government surveillance activities, the U.S. and the EU have been on a quest to establish a new data flow mechanism. This decision unsettled transatlantic data transfers and necessitated a resolution that would ensure enhanced privacy and data protection for EU data subjects. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a press statement that the DOJ's designation of EU member states, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, as "qualifying states." These designations allow citizens of these nations to seek redress through the proposed Data Protection Review Court, offering enhanced U.S. privacy protections in the process.

As tensions simmer over issues ranging from Mexico's biotech corn and energy policies to Canadian dairy access, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai joined North American trade partners for a summit in Cancun this week. However, the thorny issues were not directly addressed, according to readouts from the meetings.

  The United States outlined its ambitions last week for a "revamped dispute resolution system" within the World Trade Organization (WTO). One of the key tenets includes prohibiting discussions on national security matters during the arbitration process. The US proposal, however, left out any reference to maintaining the current two-tiered system for dispute resolution that includes an Appellate Body as the final arbiter in the WTO's enforcement operations.

The operating practice of trade compliance is bifurcated into customer due diligence (CDD) and managing import and export controls.   CDD involves vetting customers and suppliers using …

Along with sanctions on miners affiliated with th Wagner Group, the U.S. released a multiagency advisory on compliance concerns associated with the Gold Trade. Jointly issued by six Departments - State, Treasury, Commerce, Homeland Security, Labor, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) the advisory had been delayed several days, along with the Wagner Sanctions, to allow the mutiny in Russia to sort itself out.

Mexico last Saturday began imposing a 50% tariff on white corn imports, a move the president says looks to boost national production and prevent imports of genetically modified corn.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Trade Advisory Committee, known as the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC), convened in Arlington, Virginia on June 14, 2023. The …

Friday, the EU Council announced the adoption of the eleventh comprehensive package of sanctions, imposing restrictive measures on an additional 71 individuals and 33 entities identified as …

The General Council Chair of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ambassador Athaliah Lesiba Molokomme of Botswana, recently suggested that members hope to create a roadmap to reform work, aiming for …

An interim report from the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party released yesterday highlights the practices of Chinese online retail platforms Temu and Shein – including avoiding tariffs and failing to prevent forced labor sourcing.

The United States and India announced Thursday an agreement to terminate six outstanding World Trade Organization disputes – three launched by Washington and three by New Delhi – over …

United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced today that the U.S. has requested Mexico to review labor practices at the San Martin mine, located in the state of Zacatecas. Owned by …

The new chair for the World Trade Organization’s TRIPS Council says there is little forward movement on extending paragraph eight of the TRIPS Agreement on vaccines to COVID-19 diagnostics and …

Bipartisan, bicameral legislation introduced Thursday would bar non-market economies like China from taking advantage of the $800 de minimis threshold. Lawmakers have been complaining that China …

The U.S. government is amplifying its efforts to curb the illegal trafficking of firearms into Mexico, according to remarks by Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco during the Southbound Firearms …

The United States has asked Mexico to look into whether workers at a Mexican denim factory are being denied the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining. The request announced …

In an event co-hosted with Prime Minister Davis of The Bahamas, Vice President Kamala Harris emphasized the United States' commitment to strengthening its relationship with the Caribbean at the …

Last week saw a request by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai to the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) to investigate and report on the greenhouse gas emissions intensity of steel and aluminum produced in the United States.